Storefront, 6x6 Inches, Acrylic

NFS

It's the first of the month - time to check in on my Girls Just Wanna Paint Group!  This month our topic was 'Storefront' and in another life (i.e. another computer, that recently died) I had some great photos of storefronts in NYC - one, in particular, a tiered display of Barbie Dolls in identical pink princess outfits  in one window, and blue princess outfits in the next window - it was fabulous.  BUT.... they are somewhere on an external hard drive that I don't know how to access!  So here is a really fun shop in Provincetown, MA, at the very tip of Cape Cod. I was trying to stay very loose - which is much harder than you would imagine!   I love, love, love Ptown, so here's my 'ode' to my favorite spot on the Cape!

Donut War! Jelly Heart, 6x6 Inches, Acrylic Painting of Dunkin Donuts Jelly

$125 & $10 S&H

Monday is my appointment with my Donut War Rival, Susan Roden, and this week... I am UNBEATABLE!  Because I "have a heart"!  Dunkin Donuts has started their ramp up for the big V day, and they had 3 different kinds of heart shaped donuts.  Well, the jelly had me at 'Hello'....  Take THAT, Susan! (Let's check out what she's slapping me with HERE!)

My daughter hosted Paco for the weekend in Boston, and I went to pick him up - I would have missed him more but was a bit under the weather - but was SO glad to see him (and vice versa!)  And as we arrived home, we came down the hill to see this view across from our house.  Sweet, no?

*Also I have added a new Page to the top of the blog - on how I wrap and package my paintings, for those of you that have asked!*

Live In The Present, 6x6 Inch Oil Painting of a Present

$125 & $10 S&H

A dear friend gave me this beautiful present at the holidays, and I thought it was so beautiful I re-wrapped it to paint it.  I am still writing thank you notes, so I will not let myself USE it till I write the note ;0  Don't you just love the sunset colors?

Have a wonderful weekend, friends!

*Workshop at my studio Feb. 23 & 24, see info at top right of my blog - 

come sharpen those skills and have FUN with us!*

Today - Live in Sedona, AZ!

Just to share:

Karin Jurick's workshop class from Hilton Head has sent in our paintings from (really) around the world, to hang together at the Sedona Arts Center Show, "A Sense Of Place", opening TODAY.  So if you are in the area, I promise you a visually enchanting experience, should you be able to visit!  The Hilton Head Gang have entered, almost as a whole.  And we are a Force to be reckoned  with!  My Swiss friend Regula Sheifele, one of the HHG, made this beautiful sign and I 'borrowed it' for my post!  Check out her work HERE.

My "Water Dancer" will be there, hoping to find a wonderful 'forever' home!

Work In Progress: SNOW Scene

What do you do when it's a frozen tundra outside, and you want to paint,  but you don't want to even drive to the studio?  You set up at home and make a tryptic of the snow scenes (from last year!).  This is almost done on the front, but as each canvas is on gallery wrap the sides need to be finished, then I'll mount them in a floater frame.  What I loved about painting this was 1) I painted it so that each canvas could stand on its own and 2) painting in acrylic I can layer and layer and layer - with all those gorgeous colors showing through!

And... my workshop has already started filling up!  Reserve your space, Feb. 23 & 24!  Top right of the blog!

Donut War! Pink Donut x2, 6x6 Inches, Oil Painting of Strawberry Donut

$125 & $10 S&H

It's Donut War Day!! Here's the fun thing about this painting... the donuts are on a cloth that has random green 'donuts'!  Susan Roden is my California adversary... I have no doubt she's prepared something sweet & gooey to fling back at me!  See it HERE.

*NEWS*

Painting Workshop

at my studio in Warren

February 23 & 24

See Top Right Side of my Blog for more info!

Winter Blues, 6x12 Inches, Oil Painting of Tress In Snow

$125 & $10 S&H

I've painted this place in the snow before, but I like the format of this canvas.   It is painted around the sides on a 1 1/2 inch gallery wrap canvas, so it needs no frame.  I love all the colors you can see in white snow if you really, really look.  Our first 'snow day' here in lower RI - and it's already melting away - no complaints here!

And we had a bit of drama here last night - Isabelle (above) pushed a heavy candy dish off the mantle (because she couldn't find the kind of chocolate she liked) and when it landed a small chip broke off.  I searched and searched for that chip, knowing that someone who will remain nameless could find and eat it.  I never got it.  THEN when I was serving dinner, I walked past Paco  and heard a distinct "Crunch"...

But when I stopped and looked at him he gave me the 'innocent' - look "Nope, not me, you did NOT hear that sound from me..." look.  So I continued on bringing plates to the table and then "Crunch, CRACK, Crunch..." from the direction of Paco's mouth.  I literally THREW the food on the table and quickly pried open his puggy little mouth and scooped out THREE crunched pieces of glass.  I was so crazed - what if he had crunched earlier and I didn't get the pieces?  My family thought that it would have to be a miniscule piece (they saw my search of his mouth), and maybe a lot of FOOD would wash it down and through harmlessly.  Paco concurred, and a big stuffed shell & meatball got cut up and served to him.

This a.m I'm happy to report that all's well.  We seem to have gotten all before they did any damage.

Pugs......

Roxanne! Hilton Head Gang Mugshot! 4x4 Inches, Oil

This is a comrade from my time on Hilton Head Island - and the latest in my attempt to keep up with that wily, and productive group (you can see the whole shebang, as it progresses HERE) with a mugshot of Roxanne Duke.  If you check out her blog you can see what she is submitting to the Sedona Arts Center show.

I think the more of these you do, the better you get (well, me anyway)  - I hope.  It certainly is freeing, the more you do, and I thank Karin Jurick for forcing me :) to try it.  And I also think that the more you examine any model, the more beautiful they become to you.  And the easier it is to paint them.  NOT that my paintings 'beautify' my subjects at all!  These mug shots are supposed to reflect their 'tough' side!

*In other news I was thrilled to hear my painting below was accepted into the the Duxbury Art Assocation's Winter Show at the Duxbury Art Museum*

Feb. 5th through April

Water Dancer, 8x10 Inches, Oil Painting of Girl On The Beach

The young girl in this painting danced 'as if no one was watching' on the beach at Hilton Head Island.  I have to say this is one of my favorite paintings, ever.   This painting is my submission to the Sedona Arts Center show "A Sense Of Place".  The Opening Reception is Feb. 3rd from 5-8 in Sedona, AZ.   The show includes paintings from students of the arts center's 'satellite' or off campus workshops.  The paintings reflect the locations of the 'Field Expeditions'.  Karin Jurick's students from Hilton Head and NYC will be participating in this.  I just have to say.... our Hilton Head group has 17 (SEVENTEEN) submissions to this show - almost 100% of our class, and almost half the pieces entered in the show.  We will ROCK and RULE the show!!!!  Should be an amazing show.  Karin was so thrilled at our high level of enthusiasm she's entering the show herself!

I can't sell this before the show, but I will let you know that it will be available in this beautiful Randy Higbee floater frame for $725.  It can be purchased over the phone once the show opens, by phone, I believe.  Email me at kcareymac@hotmail.com if you're interested....

Donut War! The Ammo Pile, 6x6 Inches Oil painting of Jelly Donuts

SOLD

So... I am preparing for a full fledged invasion from Susan Roden in our weekly Donut War!  This time I painted something near and dear to my heart - a great big pile of soft, plump, jelly donuts from Dunkin's!  Last Summer a couple of painter friends and I went on a road trip, with the obligatory stop at Dunkin Donuts to stock up on iced coffee for the ride.  They had just put out this big tray full of sweet jelly and sugar pastries...  we had the poor donut man model (another day's painting) with one in his hand, and I snapped a few shots of this great big pile of ammunition for the Donut War!

Susan, you'd better duck.... sweetness coming your way!

*The first person to buy a donut painting this year gets my Donut wall calendar as a treat!*

Oh, yes, Happy MLK day.  I was going to do a portrait of him, then I learned that his family 'owns' his image (how can that be?).  I want to own my image, thus preventing any goofy shots of me with one eye closed, or a disappearing chin from getting into the public domain....

"The Guardian" Mugshot - from the Hilton Head Gang

"The Guardian", Nancy Darling... Look HERE to see the other artist's version of Nancy!

Maria Hock says: Week 8 finds us looking for Nancy “The Guardian” Darling so named because of her help with rescue dogs.  She often travels with a large pack of dogs which hampers her ability to shoot but that does not prevent her from trying.  She uses the dogs to attract unsuspecting subjects then while they are being distracted...she shoots.  It is a devious but very effective plan.  I hear she and her pack will be heading up to Alaska to participate in the Iditarod...that may be a false lead...just be on the lookout...

Oh, Hull...., 5x7 Inches, Oil Painting of Hull, Ma

$125 & $10 S&H

I loved living in Hull, MA.  The sky is like a light show come sunset.  It is a magical peninsula, where you can see the ever changing light on the oceanside AND the bay side.  And there are many evenings when the pink of the sunset sky reflects on the wet sand of the sea side.  Pink, orange, pink - oh, it just SENDS me!  And the little glittering lights going through the town - to me it looks like a diamond necklace, laying on the ground...  You should go there... see this....

p.s. THREE squirrels were removed from my studio this weekend  Uncountable props broken.  Explains the lack of paintings from the past week, no?

Donut War! Donut Seeds, 5x7 Inches, Oil

$125 & $10 S&H

It's a funny thing, this Donut War... things happen that you'd never, ever expect.  Like a collector showing up at my Open Studio with POUNDS of Dunkin Donuts (yum) coffee.  Or a Donut Diversity T shirt!  And this past Christmas, I received from my 'Arch Enemy' in the Donut Wars, Susan Roden, a suspicious package!  I had the bomb squad on standby.  We shook the package, smelled it (while Paco barked and ran around in little circles), shook it.  Finally we got up the courage and opened it only to find.... DONUT SEEDS!  Where Susan found them I'll never know, but it put a BIG GRIN on my face.  She is a doll, isn't she?  I'm only going to shoot her this delish "Today Show" (not kidding) donut for today's attack.  It is the colors of the Today Show (who even knew they had 'colors').  Well I'm on a different computer, and the 'jimmies' are red, orange and yellow, and when I tried to get the red to show up, the background turned gray in editing, so... trust me: red, orange and yellow on white frosting.

And, FYI, I have the Fire Department (also the Police Department) directly across the street, so in theory, they're always 'standing by' for me :)

Handsome Harry, 6x6 Inches, Oil

$125 & $10 S&H

It is my humble opinion that male orange cats are the MOST handsome!  This is a painting of my orange boy, but I have two friends (who don't know each other) who each managed in the past few months to add a beautiful orange male kitty to their families!  I hadn't painted one of my cats in a while, and they are a big part of my life.  (Don't tell Paco)  I felt very free and loose painting this. Just what I needed to get this New Year off to a good start!